Crash victims' families receive compensation<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan<\/p>\n
Relatives of Mandala crash victims in Medan received compensation
\nfrom state insurance firm PT Jasa Raharja on Wednesday, taking
\nadvantage of the moment to lash out at the airlines for its slow
\nresponse after the accident.<\/p>\n
Sabarudin Rambe, the father of passenger Prizani Anggita who
\ndied in the accident, said the Mandala staff treated him unkindly
\nat a time when he was in deep grief and desperate to find out
\nabout the fate of his daughter.<\/p>\n
\"We're very offended by Mandala's service. They should have at
\nleast been kind and informed us about the accident but they
\ndidn't and we're disappointed,\" said Sabarudin, who spoke on
\nbehalf of the families of the victims after receiving
\ncompensation from the insurance firm.<\/p>\n
Tuti Hartati, whose husband died in the accident, complained
\nabout the tedious process she had to go through to get the
\ncompensation. She said the airlines could just send an official
\nto take care of the matter, like Jasa Raharja did, instead of
\nrequiring them to go to Mandala's office.<\/p>\n
\"We just lost our loved ones and we're told to go to Mandala's
\noffice to take care of the compensation. Jasa Raharja staff came
\nto our homes to take care of the matter,\" said Tuti, who is nine-
\nmonth pregnant.<\/p>\n
At least 149 people including people on the ground were killed
\nwhen a Mandala aircraft slammed into a densely populated
\nresidential area near Polonia airport in Medan last week in one
\nof the country's worst airplane tragedies.<\/p>\n
Jasa Raharja President Director Darwin Noor said that 47 out
\nof 77 families of crash victims who had died had received
\ncompensation amounting to Rp 50 million (US$5,000) each from the
\ncompany in Medan. In Jakarta, the company also delivered
\ncompensation to the families of 12 crash victims on Wednesday.
\nFor the remaining families, the compensation was distributed by
\nthe company's branches where the victims' families live.<\/p>\n
PT Mandala Airlines acting chairman Maj. Gen. Asril H. Tanjung
\nwelcomed the criticism over the company's poor services after the
\naccident and conveyed his apologies.<\/p>\n
\"We'll use the criticism to improve. We will deal with all the
\nunfinished matters to the best of our ability,\" Asril said.<\/p>\n
Following the crash, in a move to boost safety in the domestic
\nairline industry, the government has been conducting spot safety
\nchecks. As a result four Boeing 737-200 planes operated by four
\ndifferent airlines, including Mandala, were grounded over the
\nweekend.<\/p>\n
Another Boeing 737-200 aircraft, operated by Mandala Airlines,
\nwas again grounded following a random safety check of 11 aircraft
\non Monday night.<\/p>\n
Asril said that the company plans to compensate all the
\nfamilies of the crash victims in a month's time, both passengers
\nand non-passengers.<\/p>\n
He said the amount of compensation would vary. A family of a
\nperson who died in the crash, he said, would receive Rp 300
\nmillion, while a victim suffering permanent injury would receive
\nup to Rp 300 million along with medical costs for 30 days after
\nbeing released from hospital.<\/p>\n
An injured victim will receive a maximum of Rp 50 million in
\naddition to medical costs for 30 days after getting out of the
\nhospital, while those suffering from burns will have their
\nmedical costs covered for 90 days after being released from the
\nhospital.<\/p>\n
Asril also said that residents whose houses were destroyed in
\nthe crash would get their houses rebuilt.<\/p>\n
\"The compensation will be for all victims, both passengers and
\nresidents, even if there is a passenger who was not listed in the
\nmanifest,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/crash-victims-families-receive-compensation-1447893297",
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